UK envoy condemns attacks against Hürriyet

UK envoy condemns attacks against Hürriyet

ANKARA

U.K. Ambassador to Turkey Richard Moore has swiftly condemned an attack against daily Hürriyet’s Istanbul headquarters and Ankara offices, urging respect for the rule of law.

“I condemn wholeheartedly the attacks on Hürriyet. Freedom of press forms the basis of any functioning democracy,” Moore said on Sept. 9 in a message posted to his Twitter account.

Moore also said he “totally agreed” with Interior Minister Selami Altınok’s earlier suggestion about the importance of respecting the rule of law.

Hürriyet’s Istanbul headquarters and Ankara offices were pelted with stones by club-swinging protesters on Sept. 8, less than 48 hours after a similar attack by Justice and Development Party (AKP) supporters.

Following the first violent attack in Istanbul, Altınok vowed that “no concession will be given regarding principles of the rule of law and public order.”

The raid on Sept. 8 came hours after President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan renewed a verbal attack on Hürriyet, accusing it of deliberately distorting his words.